Jason's 30 Greatest Video Games of All Time

[Jason]

It's been almost a year since I created my 20 Greatest Video Games of All Time thread, and I think I've generated enough tweaks and rearrangements to create another thread with ten additional games added to the list. There are seven games listed below in random order that I've set a goal to beat and rank as soon as I've finished with them. They are:

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Resident Evil 4
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
007: From Russia With Love
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Banjo-Tooie
Toy Story 2

With that out of the way, let's get started!









#30





Super Mario Bros. 2





This, in my opinion, is the most underrated of all the Super Mario games. The gameplay is much different from the first and third, and even more different than any other Mario game ever released, but the entertainment value is equaled. Of the original Super Mario trilogy, this one is unique in the fact that you have four characters you can play as. To top it off, each character has opposing strengths and weaknesses: Mario runs faster; Luigi can jump the highest; Toad can run and pluck vegetables the fastest but is the poorest jumper; and Peach can jump the farthest, due to her ability to hover for a short time, though she is the slowest runner and slowest at plucking items from the ground. Just like the others in the trilogy, though, it is very challenging. An instant classic.
















#29





Day of Reckoning 2





I was a huge wrestling fan from the late 1990's to the mid 2000's. And as a kid who loved video games, I always had to get my hands on the wrestling ones. There was never a perfect one. True wrestling fans who loved video games always had a gripe about them, every single one, no matter how good it was, and rightfully so. Some games had no versatility in grappling moves, others had no specialty matches, such as Hell in a Cell or Iron Man matches... Day of Reckoning 2 did. Not my favorite wrestling game, as you'll see later on in the countdown, but it was well worth plunking down the cash for a pre-order. Graphics have little to no affect on my ranking, but this is the most realistic wrestling game I've ever played, and it did enhance my enjoyment of it quite a bit.
















#28





Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers





I loved the original cartoon when I was a kid, and when Hollywood Video was selling their older N64 games and upgrading to the Gamecube and XBox, I practically made a blind purchase and picked this one up. Glad I did. Although the gameplay isn't outstanding, the concept is brilliant. It features stories from actual episodes of the original caroon that you (Shaggy, with Scooby) have to solve. You have a fright meter, and it goes down every time you bump into something scary or harmful, such as a spider walking around or rotating blades in the ground. The gameplay is very simple, made for children, but any fan of the original cartoon would certainly enjoy playing this game.
















#27





Chip 'n Dale Rescue rangers





This game is seldom talked about, but actually rivals some of Nintendo's best for me. Enemies and obstacles grow increasingly more challenging as you advance through the game. It's not a lengthy one, as most original Nintendo games aren't, but if you're new to this game, odds are you won't be able to complete it in one sitting and will have to shut it off and continue another time. It was a favorite for me as a kid, and although I've beaten it countless times, it's difficult to master, which is another positive trait.
















#26





Wrestlemania XIX





After the massive failure that was Wrestlemania X8, it seemed now that video game producers were starting to listen to the wrestling fans. Every single quality imaginable about XIX was better than X8. I was shocked. X8 was the first one for Gamecube, and I thought the days of good wrestling games were over, but in came XIX. The story Mode was great, and the backstage action/revenge match option was phenomenal. Revenge matches were great, and very unique. Some included eliminating your opponent by throwing him or her off of balconies, others included putting your opponent through cars, and some even included throwing your opponent in traffic to get the win. This one got me excited for wrestling games again, and although they didn't make one better after this, they were still a huge step up from X8.
















#25





Super Smash Bros.





What an unexpected concept. Nintendo's finest pitted against each other in a free-for-all of senseless violence. This game was immensely addicting. I stayed up on the weekends until dawn many times playing this game as a kid. Although there isn't much to the story mode, this game paved the way for its sequels, which may be the greatest multiplayer games of all time. The main goal is to unlock all the characters and stages so you can play as whoever you want, wherever you want. For the original, my favorite character to play as was Captain Falcon.
















#24





WWF No Mercy





This is my favorite wrestling game ever. WWF No Mercy. I had a blast with Wrestlemania 2000, but everything improved with this one. There were many options and challenging goals for the game. You can collect money and buy famous weapons such as Cactus Jack's barbed wire bat or purchase some of pro wrestling's greatest athletes such as Shawn Michaels or Ken Shamrock. The hardest part was unlocking Andre the Giant. Survival Mode is one of two ways to unlock him, and it was the only way I knew of as a kid. It is basically an unlimited Royal Rumble, where you have to survive 101 opponents. Unlocking Andre is not only hard, but he is one of the toughest characters in the game.
















#23





Mario Kart 64





Seeing this game and playing it for the first time made me instantly yearn for a Nintendo 64. I fell in love with this game the moment I played it and have loved it ever since. It's a fun for all ages style game that truly never gets old. I could play this game for days straight when I was young and would never get sick of it. It's just one of those games that are so simple, but ridiculously fun.
















#22





James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing





This game was instant greatness. Phenomenal gameplay, Superb graphics, and one of the best action games ever made. The story Mode is intense and the cooperative multiplayer option was one of the best things about it. The icing on the cake. The levels were challenging and fun, the weapons and gadgets were fantastic and the overall style of the game was supremely entertaining. One of the best Bond games ever. One of...
















#21





Bubble Bobble





I've been playing Nintendo for as long as I can remember, and this one gets a hold of you. The longevity is one of the best things about it. You obviously had a lot of time on your hands if you were able to sit down and beat the entire game at once. Because this game was so long, you were given passcodes to each level. So, when you decided to give it a rest, all you had to do was write down the five letter passcode. There are 100 levels in this game and you must defeat your enemies by trapping them inside your bubbles and popping them before they're able to break free. Each level is unique and grows more and more challenging as the game progresses.

[Jason]

#20





Burnout 2: Point of Impact





when I was around 15 or 16 and GameCube was the hottest Nintendo system on the market, my friend and I would often walk down to Hollywood video and rent this game for 8 days and play it non-stop. The best thing about this game is multiplayer. You think single-player racing is fun? Wait until you unlock the best cars and play multiplayer mode. Good times will be had by all. The graphics are outstanding, even by today's standards, and to this day, it still has the most realistic crashes I've ever seen in a racing game. I finally bought it in 2010 after having not played it for about 4 or 5 years. Great memories. When you're done playing the game, be sure to take extra caution if you get on the road for real. I've caught myself almost going for near misses.
















#19





The World Is Not Enough





This one might be the most underrated game on my list. It was criticized for being a severe letdown, but for me it was just the opposite. The multiplayer certainly isn't very enticing, but the story mode makes up for its lack of multiplayer integrity completely. Each level is quite challenging, and upon completion, that feeling of success makes all those frustrating deaths worth every one. It's a great game to learn as you go. As the game progresses, each new level requires you to master different tasks and challenges. It's certainly no easy game, by any stretch of the imagination.
















#18





Mario Kart: Double Dash!!





Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was a huge step up from its predecessor, Mario Kart 64. While Mario Kart 64 is an excellent game in its own way and paved the way for the Mario Kart series success, Double Dash entered the GameCube world with a bang. This one is much more demanding of skill and much more challenging than the first. Instead of one character driving, you have two characters driving. One riding in the back, collecting items to throw at opponents. You can switch places with them at any point during gameplay, which can be a very strategic move, depending on who your characters are. There are more levels, more characters, bigger stages and tougher obstacles. You might want to start out with Mario Kart 64 before jumping right into Double Dash.
















#17





Mike Tyson's Punch Out





Who was around when Mike Tyson was the most intimidating sports figure the world had ever seen? The man was thought to be the future greatest boxer of all time, and some to this day think he's right up there. With Punch Out, you're given the opportunity to beat him. With a Rocky-esque character (Little Mac), you begin your journey at the bottom and work your way to the top of the boxing world. The more opponents you defeat, the tougher they become. From Glass Joe, the human punching bag, to Bald Bull, the human bull, the game had, not only a challenging list of boxers, but each one of them had a unique fighting style you had to overcome. The game had no real longevity. Hell, I've beaten it in less than 30 minutes, I'm sure. But it's so enthralling. And addicting. I can't tell you how many times I've beat the game, just to reset it and start from Glass Joe again. It was an instant classic, and has remained that way for 25 years and counting.

Oh, and Mario is the referee!


















#16





Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain





Anybody remember the Intellivision? Heh, you thought Nintendo was old school, try playing the Intellivision. The controller is probably the most bizarre at-home video game controller ever. Yes, even more bizarre than the Wii. It looks absolutely nothing like a controller. It looks more like a touchtone telephone. You use numbers to navigate and shoot instead of joysticks, D-Pads and buttons.

But enough about the system, let's talk about the greatest game it ever produced. You represent a trio of hunters (basically 3 lives) traveling through mountain caves and woods on the hunt for two pieces of a broken crown, trying to restore it. Along the way, you collect arrows for your bow and run into odd creatures. There's no telling what's around the corner. The main enemies are demons, snakes and of course, dragons. The only way to know if you're close by, is when you see the footprint of the demon, hear the hiss of the snake or the purr of the slumbering dragon. When traveling, most of the map is in darkness. The ground you've covered remains lit, but grounds you haven't covered remain to be seen. Things will often jump out at you, and you'll have to kill them with your bow and arrow. I can't tell you how many times, or how high, I've jumped as a kid when a dragon comes out of the dark, full speed, roaring at me. It is the greatest jump scare game of all time. Doesn't matter how old it is, if you play this game, you will probably fly right out of your seat if you aren't standing already. But then there's that sound. The simple sound you hear when you retrieve the final piece of the broken crown. It is the greatest video game sound of all time and gives you the feeling of utter accomplishment. This game is gripping, intense, and one of the greatest games I've ever had the pleasure of playing.


















#15





Battletoads





More from Nintendo. It's not often you find a game today whose multiplayer mode is simply another person embarking on the same journey through the game. Difficult journeys await from start to finish in this Nintendo classic. The mission is to rescue Princess Angelica and fellow battletoad, Pimple, from the evil Dark Queen. Each challenge is difficult and requires a consummate set of skill to pass through tough obstacles administered by the Dark Queen. Rat Race was my favorite level as a kid. You have to race a rat, on 3 separate occasions. Each race, the rat is faster. You have to race him through a maze-like lair and get to the bottom before he does. That level would get my heart pounding, almost as if I had been the one doing the running. It's truly one of Nintendo's masterpieces. And wait until you get a load of the pause music. I may have spent more time fist pumping to the pause music than playing the actual game.
















#14





Simpsons Hit & Run





What a pleasant surprise this game was. I thought Simpsons Road Rage was a fun game. The story mode here crushes Road Rage like road kill. The longevity and unique style of play are just two of many positive attributes to this game. I had never seen anything like this game when it came out. And still haven't. If you're a fan of the Simpsons, and enjoy a good video game, this one should not disappoint at all. It is loaded with countless, hilarious references to the show, and the gameplay is phenomenal.
















#13





Contra





Contra. So simply put together, and so addicting. Truly a man's video game. Everything about this game is great. You can play the game solo, or with a friend. You represent a military commando set to infiltrate the evil Red Falco Organization that is planning to take over the Earth. The gameplay, the action and the obstacles were something you hadn't really seen in a video game before and it revolutionized action games for years to come. But gameplay aside, who can forget that victory music upon conquering a level? I can't help but do a fist pump, and sometimes even do a TeBow. Maybe no TeBowing as a kid, but this game has withstood the test of time, and even the victory celebration evolves a bit.
















#12





Tecmo Super Bowl





Easily my all time favorite football game. I grew up absolutely loving this game. Hell, by the time I was 4 or 5, I had the 1990 rosters from every NFL team pretty much memorized, and that's no exaggeration. I started at the age of 3, and still enjoy this one to the fullest. Played as the Broncos, of course. I will say this: As a young kid, I enjoyed watching Lawrence Taylor play football, and every once in a while, I played as the Giants, using Lawrence Taylor to bullrush the quarterback on nearly every down. I might've enjoyed playing as him on those random occasions more often than I enjoyed seeing him play.

The Bobby Humphrey run up the middle and the Shotgun, Elway to Vance Johnson passes were my favorite.



















#11





Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game





Turtle Power! Anyone who's ever played video games had to have played this one. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were BIG when I was a kid. I enjoyed the cartoon and the movies were pretty good, but this video game trumps all. Select your favorite Ninja Turtle (Raphael) and the quest is on to save April. Two can also play, and although it is entirely more challenging to go solo on the quest, it is equally fun with a partner.

[Jason]

#10





Super Smash Brothers: Melee





This one is quite comparable to Mario Kart: Double Dash in terms of the major upgrade from its predecessor. While Super Smash Brothers for the Nintendo 64 was a groundbreaking new game, Melee took it to a whole new level. Of all the games I've played, I believe this one requires the most skill on the player's part. The characters are each given their own fighting technique, and it's up to the user to master it. Falco is my favorite.

Ever have one of those games where you feel nobody can beat you? I'm sure we all do. This is one of them for me. I met a great friend of mine through a job we shared during our senior year in high school. I met a lot of his friends, and they're all good-hearted people. They were the drama club peeps. You know, the ones that play nothing but video games and those Japanese card games in their spare time? Well, sure enough, these guys loved Melee. And they were good. VERY good. And a big group of them were usually huddled around a TV at night waiting for their turn. After not having played for months, I decided to join in. I beat everyone. After that, whenever we would all get together, it was usually everyone challenging me to a game of Melee. Of all the people I've played, of all the times I've played them, not one of them beat me. One time. Never. It's just one of those games that you master better than most everyone else. The friendly competition we had, and all those nervous matches, wondering if my undefeated streak will ever come to an end just made the game that much more fun to play.
















#9





Resident Evil Ø





I'll never forget the moment I saw the commercial advertisement for this game. I was already familiar with the Resident Evil franchise and when I first saw the commercial, I was beyond thrilled that the series was coming to Gamecube. Once I got my hands on this bad boy, I couldn't stop playing it. Interchangeable characters and updated graphics only added to the fun. This franchise is downright terrifying if you play it in a proper setting, which is what I love most about it. Resident Evil Ø may have been the most different out of the fixed camera angle era of the franchise, but it is only a plus. There is never a dull moment in this game.
















#8





Resident Evil





Over time, this game has slowly worked its way ahead of Resident Evil Ø. I played Ø before I played this one, and they were so equally great, I almost couldn't pick one. Naturally, I went with Resident Evil Ø since I hadn't given the Resident Evil remake time to soak in. Now that it has, it has finally surpassed Resident Evil Ø. It may be the fact that I'm just a horror fan in nature that puts them so high on the list, I don't know, but these two games triggered a new fire in my love for video games. Resident Evil is just a completely different style of gaming. Although Resident Evil may not be my favorite game of all time, it is easily my favorite video game series of all time. Each one I've ever played has never failed to disappoint. I'm not sure if I've ever had more fun playing video games than I do when I'm playing this franchise. When it comes to gaming, I don't think anything beats turning on the system at night, blacking out all the lights, sitting alone in the house and playing Resident Evil on surround sound. A very unique gaming experience, and one I will forever cherish.
















#7





Super Mario 64





This game was a surprisingly massive challenge. Nothing like the Mario's of the past where you could just speed run through the entire game, this one took some time to beat. A lot of time. But it just made you more and more eager to collect all those stars and complete the game. It will suck you in, no matter what age. It has such an original concept, and is easily one of the best Mario games I've ever played. Many games just plop you right in it and leave you running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to figure out what to do next, but this one is very organized. You know what to do, but knowing how to do it is the tricky part. The visual detail of each course and fun soundtrack provided additional fun to a very challenging, and sometimes frustrating game. But you can't have the highs without the lows, which makes me very appreciative of it.
















#6





Super Mario Bros. 3





This game set the stage for the future Mario games, and general gaming itself. A definite favorite as a kid that has withstood the test of time. You know how great a game is when you're still playing it as an adult. Of all the new consoles and all their new games, most have failed to produce a game that is even close to the quality of this one. Mario 3 is decades ahead of its time and a giant leap ahead of the first two. The gaming is better, more technical. The atmosphere of the game is much better and the story is more fun. The best Nintendo has produced for its original system.

[Jason]

#5





Banjo-Kazooie





The object of the game is to rescue Banjo's sister, Tooty, who is kidnapped by an evil witch named Gruntilda. I had a dream when I was about eleven or twelve, while in the middle of the journey of the game for the first time, that I had finally gotten to the evil witch. I don't remember too much from the dream, only the feeling of utter accomplishment that I was finally able to get to the end. The game was so consuming for me, that it even overtook my dreams. It is so unique, and can be very humorous at random times. It is equally challenging to Super Mario 64, if not more challenging. Outstanding gameplay, witty humor and fun for all ages.
















#4





Resident Evil 2





Flashback to the early 2000s. Hollywood Video was selling their video games for the first time, and there sat Resident Evil 2. Being a horror fan in nature, the cover is the only thing that needed to sell me on the game, and I am very glad I made the purchase. Resident Evil 2 is easily the most scared I've ever been while playing a video game.

I'm not exaggerating. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I was still adjusting to the transition from Nintendo to Nintendo 64. The graphics were outstanding at the time, and sometimes it felt all too real. Visually stunning, outstanding gameplay, and pure terror around every corner. It is very, very difficult to match the excellence of a game with this many great qualities, let alone top it. And as you can see, only three have been able to top it for me.
















#3





The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time





Is it any surprise this one makes the list? Shouldn't be. In fact, it's probably more shocking that it didn't take the top spot. This game is widely regarded as one of the best video games of all time, and rightfully so. To this day, Ocarina of Time has been one of the toughest, most challenging games I've ever played. Many, many nights I spent up playing this game, wandering through it, figuring out what I had to do next. Hanging out with my best buds, putting our brains together and getting through obstacles. We'd go home, continue the quest on our games and we'd meet in school the next day and talk about homework what new obstacle one of us had overcome, and one would show the other what to do. It took a HELL of a long time, and the entire time beating the game was just a blast. I can't go more than 2 years without yearning to beat it, again.
















#2





GoldenEye 007





March 11th, 1999. I got a Nintendo 64. The two games it came with? GoldenEye and Ocarina of Time. I'm sure you can imagine what my life revolved around as an 11 year old kid, playing two of the greatest games he'll probably ever play.

GoldenEye is just something special. The first ever first person shooter game, and the best one I've ever played. This game is just flawless. The greatest feeling I ever had playing a video game was when I beat the Control level on 00 agent. Why? Each level has an Agent (Easy), Secret Agent (Medium) and 00 Agent (hard) scenario option. Not only is the Control probably the most difficult scenario in the game, but for quite a long time (years, likely), I had only reached the Cradle level. I had two more levels to discover, and the only way to get to the next level was to complete every available level on 00 agent. All I had left to beat on 00 agent was the Control, and when I completed it, a huge wave of excitement washed over me. I went back to the scenario file and there it was: Aztec. The next level after the Cradle. What increased my love of the game even more was the fact that the next two levels I played so hard to get to were two of the best on the game. There were classic references to past Bond Movies in those two levels, and the music for both the levels kicked ass, as well. But I haven't even mentioned anything about multiplayer, yet! It's one of the best multiplayer games ever. Many great levels to choose from, and the game was loaded with different weapon options. The Golden Gun is probably the most intense version of multiplayer you can play. One shot, and you're dead. This got the heart racing, no matter who you played. When I'd play with proximity mines for hours at a time, and I finally finish with the game, I'd walk the halls and rooms of the house with caution, preparing to explode.

[Jason]

#1





Conker's Bad Fur Day





I honestly thought my days of discovering excellent video games was over. I assumed I'd played all the classics I'd ever be interested in and never find a hidden gem among them. Once the Wii, XBox 360 and Playstation 3 were released, I was less than intrigued. No game I ever played for any of those systems even came close to matching the quality of all the older systems. My only hope was to be able to find that hidden gem I missed out on during my childhood. But there was no hope, and just when I thought I had already gone through that final run in epic video game discovery, I find Conker's Bad Fur Day.

Now, I've always known about this game, but being that it was one of the last Nintendo 64 games released, it wasn't very popular and there was no real buzz about it anywhere. So, I looked past it and moved onto the Gamecube. It wasn't until late 2012 or early 2013 that it was brought to my attention again. Thankfully for youtube, I was able to witness some of the gameplay. Upon discovering the video of The Great Mighty Poo, one of the game's bosses, I knew instantly that I had to have it. Because the game is so rare, I had to plunk down the price of a brand new game today for it, but it was well worth it. The humor in this game is far and away the best I've ever encountered in any video game. It had me laughing throughout its entirety, and what initially put it so high on my list (originally #8), was a combination of that humor, the hilarious film references and the fact that the gameplay is top notch. Every aspect of this game was taken seriously, as though the creators poured every ounce of their raunchy humor and creativity to make this game as great as it could possibly be. It is absolutely fantastic and instantly became one of the greatest games I've ever played.

When I originally made this list, Conker soared to #8. I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. It was just that good. It immediately felt like one of the greatest games I had ever played and it definitely felt worthy of a top 5 spot when I first completed it, but I wanted to see how it stood against the test of time, so it sat a few spots outside of it. I just completed it again almost a year later and I've only grown more fond of it. It is challenging, immensely unique and shockingly creative. It has a storyline so ridiculous, you're almost sure to laugh and an ending so powerful you won't soon forget it.

I truly can't put into words how appreciative I am of this game. The only possible way to understand my appreciation... would be to get your hands on it and begin the adventure.

[Man in Black]

I could be happy for years just playing the games on this list.


Since you like Mario Kart... have you ever tried Diddy Kong Racing? It is like a cross between MK and Mario 64. It has lots more racing tracks and options, plus it has the great big world map to unlock it all like Mario 64 has. I like MK as well but Diddy Kong Racing is a bigger game with more depth.

I just bought Mario Kart on the DS for David and I'm starting on Mario 64 (DS) right now... as a weird coincidence. These DS ports are really awesome, they are identical to the originals and I can play them when I go to bed ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Jason]

I have played Diddy Kong racing, but haven't played it very much at all. Once or twice. Chris borrowed it and said that it was fantastic, basically saying what you said. I need to give it another chance. My cousin owned it and just gave me all of his 64 games some years back. Mostly kid games like that. Mario Party and the like.

Conker was the game I beat most recently. Never played it before, and instantly fell in love with it. Skyrocketed to my top ten. Never thought I'd see the day.

[Man in Black]

I literally went through about 5 controllers as my friends and Marii destroyed them playing Mario Party. Button mashing nonsense cost me money and playing time lol...

[Jason]

Yeah, those N64 joysticks go out easier than most. I went through a few as a kid. The Gamecube really improved the joystick problem.

I just discovered the Mario Party mini games about a year ago. Man those things are fun, and so many fun games to choose from.

[Jason]

Reordered my list a bit.

Moved Banjo-Kazooie ahead of Super Mario 3, and put Conker (originally ranked #8) to the #1 spot.